Hong Kong Civil Service
The Joint Declaration and the Basic Law provide extensive
guarantees for Hong Kong civil servants, including the
continuation of their terms and conditions of service and
pension entitlements.
Hong Kong owes much to its excellent Civil Service.
Important there should be continuity in this area in 1997.
Human Rights in Hong Kong after 1997
The Hong Kong Bill of Rights gives effect in local law to the
provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as applied to Hong Kong. A body of local human rights jurisprudence is steadily accumulating.
The Joint Declaration provides that the ICCPR will continue
to apply to Hong Kong after 1997. The Joint Declaration
also guarantees the continuation of Hong Kong's existing
legal system.
[If pressed]
We continue to urge China to become a party to the Covenant. If it has not done so before July 1997, we will need to
consider with China how the Covenant will be enforced in the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
CIVIL SERVICE
HUMAN RIGHTS
10
s.3.12.PR.JRB